Drifted Sparks Series--Part 10. Mind Venture
by Silver Spider
Summary: The hardest demons to battle are those within us. Justin and Ariana are all too familiar with that war. But not with the new battlefield.


**Summery: The hardest demons to battle are those within us. Justin and Ariana are all too familiar with that war. But not with the new battlefield.**

**Author's Note: I'm back. I missed everyone so so much. Hope you're still interested in this series. Please send feed back.**

**Drifted Sparks Series**

**Part 10. Mind Venture**

**By: Kayla Anasazi (a.k.a. Silver Spider)**

****

**Prologue**

     It was a summer morning. Justin was sitting in his living room writing a letter when Rafe walked quickly down the stairs still buttoning his shirt. He grabbed his shoes and sat down on the couch next to his son to put them on. Rafe frowned.****

     "What are you doing, son?" he asked.

**…T**

     "I'm…ah…writing a letter," Justin furiously erased one of the lines.

**S**

     "To whom?"

**     "Well, Dad, to the Predacons," Justin put on a completely serious look, "I'm telling them that my Dad just happens to posses Optimus Prime's spark."**

**T**

     "You're what…" Rafe looked at the letter.

     "I'm kidding," Justin chuckled. "Actually it's a rough draft for a collage entrance resume."

**O**

     "My little boy, all grown up," Rafe smiled.

     "Yeah, that's right," Justin returned the smile.

**R**

     "Well, if you're going to write a collage entrance resume," Rafe pointed out, "you want them to know it's from you."

     "Yeah, so?" Justin couldn't understand what his father was hinting at.

**M**

     "You must be having an identity crisis," Rafe pointed at Justin's signature, "you spelled your name wrong." Rafe tied his shoes and grabbed his coat, "see you in the evening."

     Justin frowned and looked at his signature.

     The name was there. The same bold 'J' stood out proudly. But it wasn't the same. Justin's eye's widened as he red the rest of the name. It was there, as clear as day light.

**JETSTORM**

**Chapter 1**

     The phone rang, but Justin burly herd it. It rang three times, before he snapped out of his trance and got to it. 

     "Justin here," he said.

     "Okay, here's an update on our current situation, soldier," said a kid-like vice, "we are teenagers now, and at the moment, we're not fighting anyone. Relax, Just!"

     Justin sighed, "Chris, as a higher ranking officer, I have the full authority to tell you to shut up and keep your comments to yourself. So, why are you calling?"

     "Well, Alex and I thought it'd be fun if we get all the guys together to celebrate Ryan and Devon coming back. You know, a guy's night out."

     "All of us?"

     "Well, I called Eric and he didn't wanna come," Chris admitted, "but it could still be fun. I know this great pizza place. Alex, Ryan, and Devon already agreed to come."

     "What about Martin?"

     "I haven't called him yet. So what do you say, you in?"

     "I guess."

     "Great. Then I'll call Martin and tell him about…"

     "Wait, I just remembered, he has a date with Rachel tonight."

     "So get Rachel to hang out with Ariana. She'll be home alone since Jamie went to summer camp."

     "Get Rachel to hang out with Ariana?" Justin repeated. "Are you crazy or do you want them to kill each other?"

     "They don't get along?"

     "You haven't noticed?"

     "We'll think of something."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     "You want me to spend the evening with whom?" Ariana sounded shocked as Justin expected she would be.

     "It was not my idea," he defended himself, "Chris wants us to get a 'guy's night out'."

     "Guy's night out?" Ariana laughed, "yeah, I can just picture you watching All American Football and eating pizza."

     "In any case, would you do it?"

     "I guess you already signed me up, didn't you?" Ariana said.

     "Yes, I did," he confessed, "Rachel should be at your house right about…" there was a knock at the door, "…now."

     Ariana rolled her eyes, "You owe me big for this one."

     "I know," Justin smiled, "love you."

     "I love you too, but you still owe me," Ariana hung up and went to open the door.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     "TV's over there," Ariana pointed in the living room, "so you can watch some tapes, if you want." She started to head back to her room, but Rachel stopped her.

     "Wait," Ariana looked annoyed, "um…listen I…know you don't like me all that much," Rachel said, "but, I do want to say I'm sorry for whatever reason I bothered you. Can't we be friends?"

     Ariana looked at her, "We're not going to braid each other's hair, paint nails, and talk about boys, are we?"

     "Not unless you want to," Rachel laughed.

     "I'm gonna regret saying this," Ariana sighed, "but…which movies did you bring?"

**Chapter 2**

     "Extra large pizza with cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, and green peppers," Ryan paid for the pizza and took it back to their table.

     "This is perfect," Chris gulped down his soda and took the first slice of pizza. "First time all six of us hung out like this. Hey, tell me something," he turned to Ryan and Devon, "what was it like being dead?"

     "Not sure," Devon shrugged, "sort of like sleeping and dreaming."

     "Yeah," Ryan agreed, "and we dream of what's really happening down on Earth."

     "So that's how you knew everything about Apocalypse," Martin concluded.

     "Only we didn't see what happened when Justin and the other's went to the past," Ryan said, "what was it like?"

     "Yeah, tell us," Chris asked, "you were the only one of us that went."

     "Well, there was a huge temple detected to Apocalypse," Justin made the sign with his hands, "and inside, there were six hallways. When you went in them, you faced your greatest fear."

     "Like?" Alex chewed on his pizza slice.

     "Jamie was afraid of the people around him dying," Justin remembered. "He saw all of Cybertron dying and he also saw you guys dying all over again," he told Devon and Ryan.

     "What about you?" Martin wanted to know.

     "I…rather not say," Justin looked down.

     "Oh come on," Alex said, "how bad can it be? You're the fearless white knight of the team, remember? I bet you just walked right through that hallway. It probably couldn't find anything on you."

     "You really want to know?" Justin looked up. "Let's just say, I'm afraid of the dark."

     "You?" Alex's eyes widened in disbelief, "afraid of the dark?"

     "It was a metaphor," Ryan explained, "right?"

     "Right," Justin sighed and put his half eaten pizza back on his plate, "look, it's been fun, but I should really go." He got up, pushed his chair in, and walked away.

     Chris' eyes followed him. "Save me another slice, will you?" he got up and walked after Justin.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Justin folded his arms across his chest as he walked out the doors of the pizza place. He turned around when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

     "What do you want, Chris?" he said in a harsh voice.

     "I want to know what's wrong," the boy said. "You're obviously not yourself."

     "That's what I'm afraid of," Justin whispered.

     "What happened back in Apocalypse's temple? What did you see?"

     "It's not your business. Just leave me alone!"

     "But…"

     "Silverbolt, MAXIMIZE!" Blue light surrounded Justin as the transformation began.

     **_Blue light, Chris suddenly realized, _****_but it should be silver. "Justin wait!" he shouted, "something's wrong with the transformation. Stop!" But it was too late. The transformation was finished. Chris carefully walked up to the transformer on the ground. He was colored mostly blue, with yellow lines. _****_Maybe I overreacted, Chris thought, _****_It could just be a new body._**

     "Justin? Silverbolt?" he kneeled in front of him. "Are you alright?" Chris jumped back in surprise as a pair of red optics flashed on.

     "Never better," the transformer raised into the air, "but here's the _real update, pussy cat. Justin has left the building, and Jetstorm is back in the game!"_

**Chapter 3**

     "Okay, so tell me again how does this star-crossed lovers relationship of yours work out," Rachel asked.

     "Well, I guess the first time I noticed it was when Silverbolt and I had to work together during the time Protoform X landed," Ariana explained.     

     "Protoform X?"

     "Yeah, Rampage. Martin's half brother by spark."

     "I see," Rachel nodded, "the guy who attacked us on our first date."

     "Not only that but…" Ariana suddenly felt a wave of pain wash over her. A flood of emotions-hate, despair, anger-passed over her heart. Her face showed an expression of pain.

     "Ariana, what's wrong?" Rachel looked at her with concern, "are you okay?"

     "I am," Ariana replied through gritted teeth, "but Justin isn't."

     "What?"

     "I can feel his pain," Ariana looked up, "I have to get to him now!"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Chris stared at the transformer wide eyed, "Now there's a serious glitch."

     "And a very deadly one, I promise," Jetstorm said. "So, how's life? Still going on?"

     "No thanks to you," Chris retorted. "I have no idea where you came from, but you better give Justin's body back."

     "Or you'll do what?" Jetstorm laughed in his obnoxious manner. "Come up here and teach me a lesson?

     "If I have to," he said. "Cheetor, MAXIMIZE!"

     "Oh spare me," Jetstorm sighed. "You know as well as I do that you would never hurt this body. Justin, Silverbolt or whatever his name is, is your _friend."_

     "True," Cheetor agreed, "but you're not." He wiped out his gun and fired at Jetstorm, but missed intentionally. Jetstorm released fire from the guns located at his wrists. He wasn't trying to miss. Several shots hit Cheetor, but did very little harm to his Transmetal 2 body.

     "Upgrade?" Jetstorm asked.

     Cheetor was about to answer but at that time the other four boys ran out of the restaurant.

     "Hey, Chris," Alex called, "your pizza is gettin' cold. What's taking…oh boy…" he trailed of at the sight of Jetstorm.

     "Who the hell is that?" Devon asked. Martin's face also showed a questioning look.

     "Oh I don't think I introduced myself," Jetstorm cleared his throat. "I'm Jetstorm, your worst nightmare!" He was ready to fire again, but stopped when he heard the sound of approaching feet. Ariana and Rachel ran to the plaza and stopped in shock.

     "No," Ariana whispered as she recognized him, "Jetstorm! What happened? Where's Justin?"

     "I'm afraid he won't be joining us," Jetstorm retorted obnoxiously. He flew thirty feet up into the air and opened fire from his wrist guns. Since Cheetor was the only one ready to fight, he didn't think twice. He fired two solid blasts. They hit Jetstorm's flying mechanism and he fell from the sky like a rock. Jetstorm struggled to get back up, but he was obviously out of power. Unable to hold on to his robot mode, he reverted back to Justin. Cheetor also changed back, as the others gathered around Justin.

     "How is he?" Chris asked.

     "He'll be alright," Ariana felt Justin's pulse, "but we should get him home."

**Chapter 4**

     Justin squinted his eyes as they adjusted to the light.

     "What happened?" he asked weakly as the ceiling of his room came into focus. He touched his forehead and felt a cold, wet cloth on it.

     "You mean, you don't remember anything?" Ariana looked down at him. Justin shook his head and immediately wished he hadn't as the world started to spin around him again.

     "I feel like I fell out of a sky scrapper, head first," he admitted holding his head. "Ariana, what happened to me? I had a time lapse. I don't remember anything since coming out of the pizza place."

     "What's the last thing you remember?" she asked. "Let's see if we could figure out what led up to this."

     "I…I think I lost my temper," Justin thought for a moment. "I got mad at Chris and felt really frustrated. Then I felt like I was falling, and now I'm here. So what happened in those two hours?"

     "Uh…don't worry about it," Ariana assured him. "It was nothing."

     "That's hard to believe," Justin muttered. He put the wet towel back on his head and closed his eyes. Ariana got up and walked down stairs to the living room. Chris, Alex, and Ryan were sitting on the couch. Devon stood in the back of the room. Martin and Rachel were sitting in the second, smaller couch.

     "Are you sure that's what happened?" Eric asked for the third time as he paced in front of the room.

     "I don't want to believe it either," Ariana said, coming in behind him, "but I saw it. We all did. Look, we don't really know what happened. Justin doesn't remember. To him, it felt like a time lapse. Before that, he said he lost his temper."

     "And that's when he became Jetstorm?"

     Chris nodded.

     "So it's true," came a voice from the door way. Everyone jumped up and saw Justin leaning on the doorframe. "He's still here, inside me," Justin taped his chest with his closed fist. No one knew what to say.

     "I felt something," Justin continued, "the first time, when I signed the letter, I noticed that I wrote his name. My hand was moving, but I wasn't the one moving it. He was. He was trying to tell me that he was still there, that he was trying to get out. And now he has."

     "We…we'll find a way to suppers him," Ariana promised. "It'll be okay."

     "No, it won't be," Justin retorted. "This isn't something I can control. I can't control his actions," he took a deep breath. "I have to go get some air."

     "Justin wait!" Ariana reached for him, but he was already out the front door.

     "Well, what now?" Alex shrugged. No one said anything. No one had an answer.

**Chapter 5**

     Ariana looked out the window one last time before turning off the light. It was one in the morning, but she had been hopping Justin would at least call her before she went to bed. Now, of course, it was too late. She sighed and slipped out of her silky, snow-white night robe. That left her only in her night gown, which was made out of the same material and contrasted drastically with her tanned skin and rich, dark hair. Her hair was loss and cascaded down her solders.

     Ariana relaxed a little as she laid her head down on the soft pillow. One arm lay slightly crooked at her side, the other bent in a right angle, lying palm upward above her head. Her eyes were closed as she was deep in thought. Eventually her thoughts drifted, as she fell into a peaceful sleep.

     About a half an hour later, the window opened and Silverbolt flew in. Quietly, so as not to awaken Ariana, he changed into Justin and pulled up a chair next to her bed. For a few minutes he just sat there, listening to the steady beating of her heart against the silence of the night. Her sleeping face looked so beautiful and peaceful. Justin reached out and brushed away a lock of hair away from her face. She did not awaken. Her heart continued to beat in the same steady rhythm as her chest rose and fell under the thin sheet.

     "Why does it have to be this way?" he whispered, "it's so hard to say this…we can speak as well as the next, but sometimes, we are mute. And then, we have to find other ways of communicating." He looked at her again and then started to sing an old and familiar song.

_"Baby, don't understand_

_Why we can't just hold on to each other's hands_

_This time might be the last I fear_

_Unless I make it all too clear_

_I need you so,_

_Take these broken wings_

_And learn to fly again, learn to live so free_

_When we hear the voices sing_

_The book of love will open up and let us in_

_Take these broken wings,_

_Baby, I think tonight_

_We can take what was wrong and make it right_

_Baby, it's all I know_

_That you're half of the flesh and blood makes me whole_

_I need you so,_

_So take these broken wings_

_And learn to fly again_

_Learn to live so free_

_When we hear the voices sing_

_The book of love will open up and let us in,_

_Baby, that's all I know_

_That's you're half of the flesh and blood makes me whole,_

_So take these broken wings_

_And learn to fly again, learn to live so free_

_When we hear the voices sing_

_The book of love will open up and let us in_

_Take these broken wings_

_You got to learn to fly_

_Learn to live love so free_

_When we hear the voices sing_

_The book of love will open up for us and let us in,"_

     His voice carried beautifully through the night. The words held a deep meaning, a cry of despair. Justin bent down and gently kissed her lips.

     "No matter what happens," he vowed, tracing the contour of her face, "I love you. You are my world, my heart, my soul. Good night, beloved." He stood up, walked back to the window and flew out.

     Ariana slowly opened her eyes and pulled herself into a sitting possession. She brushed back her hair and hugged her knees. Tears were rolling down from her face, "Justin," she whispered, "don't leave me."

     She pushed back the covers and got up. Without bothering to change or even put on shoes, she simply slipped on her robe over the nightgown and tiptoed to the door, slowly opened it, and walked down stairs. The house was silent. Her mother was asleep and Jamie was at summer camp. Ariana opened the front door and stepped outside, barefoot. Her hair and the helm of her gown swung in the warm summer wind. **_What now? she thought, _****_Where would he go this late at night? Well, it was no use following him now. Justin was much faster in the air and she could never catch up with him. Ariana sighed and went back inside._**

**Chapter 6**

**Morning of next day,**

     "Ariana, honey wake up," Ariana moaned as her mother shook her shoulder. "Wake up."

     "Mom, it's…" she squinted to see her alarm clock, "it's eight on a Saturday morning. Why are you waking me up at eight on a Saturday morning?"

     "A friend of yours is downstairs," Mrs. Bailey informed her. "Now, I didn't catch the name, but it's a boy."

     "A boy?" Ariana sat up in bed, trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes. "Mom, do you have any idea how little that means to me?" She got out of bed and, without bothering to change, went down stairs. **_If it's Ryan, Alex, Chris, or Devon, I'll kill them, she promised herself. She took the long way to the living room and stopped in the kitchen to pour herself a glass of orange juice. Sipping it, she headed for the living room._**

     The glass fell on the wooden floor and shattered into a million pieces as the orange liquid spilled all over the floor.

     "A bit jumpy this morning, aren't you?"

     Ariana's jaw dropped as she stared at Brandon Stark standing across from her.

     "Tarantulas, you…piece of Predacon slag!" she could only feel anger, nothing else. "What the hell are you doing in my home?"

     Brandon gave a look of innocent surprise. "Is that any way to great your guest? And dressed like that, I might add," he smirked at her nightgown and rod, "change of wardrobe? You know, I can't say I've ever seen you in white before. Or a dress for that matter."

     "What do you want?" she was angry and exasperated.

     "Just checking up a few rumors I heard," he said, "word is, something's happened to your boyfriend. Something about a Vehicon, Jetstorm, is it?"

     "Don't believe every rumor you hear," Ariana didn't want to confirm the Predacon's suspicion.

     "No," he agreed, "but I'm pretty sure I can believe this rumor. Everyone has a dark side, you know."

     "Yeah, but you don't seem to have a light side," she was about to say more when the phone rang. Holding up her index finger as a sign for Brandon to wait, she picked up the phone, stepping a few feet back so that he couldn't hear. "Hello?" she said in a whisper.

     "Ariana, it's Alex," came his voice. "Look, I'm here with Optimus…"

     "Optimus, who?" Ariana couldn't help but joke. "I know lots of Optimuses."

     "Optimus CLASSIC!" Alex yelled. "Look, webs, we've got a bit of a problem..."

     "So do I," she replied. "I have an uninvited guest. I can put you on speaker phone so you guys could hear, but you have to be dead silent." Alex agreed and she carried the cordless back, putting it down. Without Brandon noticing, she tapped the speaker button. "So you were saying?" she said sweetly.

     Brandon eyed her suspiciously. "What are you up to, witch?" he sounded more like his old self.

     "Up to?" Ariana's surprise sounded innocent. "What ever do you mean?"

     "Never mind," he dismissed it and headed for the door.

     "Oh Brandon," she called after him. "One last thing: At a time like this, when I'm not around my teammates or Silverbolt, why haven't you at least attempted to attack me?  I mean, I know you want to, so why not?"

     "I have realized that I can't kill you now," he admitted, "much as I'd like to."

     "Oh," Ariana folded her arms under her chest, "and why is that? I thought you wanted my blood."

     "I still do," he smirked, "and make no mistake, I'll get it when it's convenient for me. But I can't now. Maybe in a decade or so."

     "What happens in a decade?" Ariana frowned.

     "Oh you forget so quickly," Brandon laughed, "I'm very surprised."

     "What happens in a decade?" Ariana repeated, anger apparent in her voice.

     "Oh no," Brandon clicked his tong, "you don't get off that easily. If you don't remember, I'm not going to tell you. Let's just say I'll get my revenge when it's convenient for me."

     "Suite yourself," at this point, Ariana didn't really care.

     "Now you answer a question for me," he said. "There is another floating in the air, much more important then the object of you affection. I hear Prime's back"

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Alex and Rafe exchanged horrified glances.

     "Oh man," Alex shook his head. "She is gonna have to be some kinda actress."

     "She has to be," Rafe whispered. "For everyone's sake."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     "Prime?!" Ariana laughed. "That relic? Boy, now you've really gone crazy, Tarantulas. That ancient, Autobot, anachronism wouldn't live a day in this time!"

     "We'll see," Brandon didn't sound too convinced. "Well it's been great chatting with you, but I really must go." He opened the door and walked out.

     "Bye," she called after him. Ariana shut the door and picked up the phone.

     "What do you mean, I'm an ANACHRONISM?!" Rafe's voice thundered over the line.

**Chapter 7**

     Ariana struggled to keep from laughing out loud as walked over to the nearest chair with the phone still against her ear. "Sorry about that, Prime," she giggled a bit. "But it had to be done. A diversion."

     "Next time make a diversion that does not include calling me old," The Autobot replied. "Has Eric ever told you that you have no respect for authority?"

     "_I could have told you that," she replied. "I never listened to any of my commanders, be they Primal, Megatron, or Tarantulas. You are no exception."_

     "That's great," his voice had a sarcastic note to it. "But that's not why I called. Do you know where Justin is?"

     Her heart skipped a beat, as Ariana painfully realized that she didn't know. "No," she replied her voice serious.

     "I haven't seen him since last night," Rafe sounded worried. "Something must have happened. "Alex and I decided to look for him and right now we're driving north of Portland towards the beach…hold on a minute."

     "What is it?" Ariana asked, but Rafe didn't reply. He pulled the van over to the side of the road and stopped it.

     "Something's wrong with the water," he said, more to himself then to Ariana and Alex. "I'll call you back later." He hung up the cell phone and watched in amazement as the water began to boil.

     Alex also saw. "What in the name or processed cheese is going on?"

     "Nothing good," the older man shook his head, his eyes never leaving that spot on the water. Suddenly there was a huge eruption and a loud blast as a column of water shot out of the ocean. As it was pulled back down, the access water splashed al over the beach. Anything that was not on high ground was covered with water. Rafe and Alex shielded their faces from random splashes, but they were mostly safe since the road was at least fifty feet above the beach. When the water mist cleared, both looked out into the ocean and froze in their tracks.

     An enormous metal fin was sticking out of the water. It had to be at least thirty feet tall, a yard thick, and ten feet in diameter. As more of it surfaced, the two saw that it was attached to a curved piece of metal. There seemed to be no end to this machine.

     "What is that?!" Alex's eyes were as wide as possible.

     "Something I hoped never to see again," Rafe's face was paper white. 'That is the Nemesis."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     "These days just keep getting better and better," there was heavy sarcasm in Eric's voice. "I thought once we defeated Apocalypse, we'd at least get a small break." He turned to Rafe, who was sitting on the sofa, looking up at him.

     "You know war doesn't work that way," he replied. "While we were fighting Apocalypse, and were too busy to worry about the Predacons, they were planing. Your and Predacon technology is much more advanced then my Autobot tools. So while the Deceptacons could never resurface their crippled ship, the Predacons must have found a way."

     "This is too much," the Maximal leader shook his head. "First we have to deal with Jetstorm and now the Nemesis?"

     "Justin and Ariana will have to deal with Jetstorm," Rafe replied. "We need to finger out what to do with the Nemesis."

     "Justin's had a lot of problems with this before," Eric looked out the window. "I just hope he's strong enough."

**Chapter 8**

     The branches of the trees swayed as Silverbolt landed on the ground near the lake in the middle of the wood. He quickly changed into Justin, not wanting to stay in robot mode any longer then he had to. The entire Jetstorm experience had been disturbing for him, and now all the memories resurfaced. He sighed and looked at his reflection in the water.

     "It won't help, trust me," spoke a voice behind him. "What you look like now is not necessarily what you really are."

     Justin shoot up to his feet and spun around. His eyes narrowed as he watched a figure in a long trench coat step out of the shadows. "Brandon!"

     "So, your memories haven't left you," the Predacon smiled. "Okay. Let's talk."

     "Talk?" Justin was amazed.

     "Oh, I would suggest we fight," Brandon shrugged. "But I know how much you'd hate for anything to go wrong. I must admit, I am very anxious to meet the infamous Jetstorm. I hear he's a very interesting character."

     "How did you…never mind, I really don't want to know," Justin turned away.

     "Like I said, I'd love to meet Jetstorm," Brandon pulled out a switchblade, and raised it over Justin's turned back. "But I'll live. Which is more then I can say for you."

     Before Justin had time to react, Brandon lowered the blade. It moved like lightning and struck Justin across the back. He screamed as his flesh was torn apart. An enormous amount of thick, scarlet, blood poured out of the diagonal wound and drenched his jacket. Justin struggled to fight back, but the strike was too sudden and most of his strength had left him.

     "Farewell, hero," Brandon raised the knife for the final hit. Justin braced for it.

     But it never came. Justin watched in amazement as a newcomer struggled with Brandon. A few seconds later, three more teenage boys appeared and began to fight him. Brandon was just as surprised as Justin was.

     "Who in the inferno are you?" he demanded.

     "Your worst nightmare," the teen wrenched the blade from his hand and it fell on the ground.

     Brandon straightened out and glared at the teenager. "Fool. You have know idea who you're dealing with, kid."

     "I don't think you know who you're trying to fight," another teen retorted. "Whoever you are, you're hopelessly out numbered. Surrender."

     "You must be joking," Brandon scoffed. "I don't know who you are, but the four of you better watch yourselves. I may be one of the most dangerous man on the planet."

     "Oh, I don't know about that," the third teen folded his arms across his chest. "But you're definitely the biggest slug in the galaxy."

     "Ah! I don't have time for this," the Predacon turned to Justin, who was struggling to get up. "I'll deal with you later. Remember what I said." With that, he brushed angrily past the four teens and walked away deeper into the forest until he was swallowed by the shadows.

**Chapter 9**

     Justin wiped the sweet from his brow and the blood from his lips. His head ached and the deep wound on his back felt like it was on fire. He looked up and saw the four teenaged boys that had helped him. Who were they? As he searched their faces, Justin could find nothing about them that he could recognize. And yet, they were familiar somehow. There was just something about them…

     "Um…thank you," he stood up and faced them. "What you did took a lot of courage. Might I know your names?"

     The first boy studied him with narrowed eyes. "First you tell us who you are."

     "My name is Justin Carter," he replied.

     "See? I told you!" the one who looked youngest spoke eagerly. "It is him."

     "Perhaps," the first one thought for a moment. He looked Justin straight in the eyes. "What is your transformer name?"

     Justin was taken a back. Who were these people? "Well, since you obviously know I'm a transformer…" he quickly recovered. "My name is Silverbolt."

     The four teens gasped and looked shocked. Finally the first one seemed to regain his senses. "It is you," he whispered. To Justin's surprise, he bowed and saluted him. The other three did the same.

     "Commander Silverbolt," the first one's voice was now sure and strong. "We apologize for ever doubting you, but you must understand that in our situation…"

     "Hold on a minute," Justin was completely confused. "_Commander Silverbolt? Who died and left me Prime? Look, maybe I could understand better if I knew who you were. Are you Maximals?"_

     The four exchanged puzzled glances and shrugged. "What are Maximals?" the once eager boy looked genuinely confused.

     "If you're not Maximals, what are you?" Justin crossed his arms over his chest.

     They were silent for a moment, then the first one spoke. "No," he said firmly. "If you don't know who we are then something is wrong. I can't reveal are identities."

     "But…" another objected.

     "No, he's right," the forth interrupted. "Look," he turned to Justin. "We're sorry about all of this. I know it looks bad, but we're not your enemies."

     "Then who are you?" Justin pressed. "You make it sound as if I should know who you are, but I don't. Especially if you're not Maximals."

     "We can't tell you that," the first shook his head. "For now, just accept that we are friends…allies."

     "What if the Maximals don't need any allies?" he said after the four teens as they turned to leave.

     The first speaker turned back and flashed a short-lived smile. "I never said we were Maximal allies." And then the four disappeared into the thick fog. Justin watched them go, wondering who the mysterious newcomers were. At that moment, a sharp pain hit him. He cried out and collapsed to his knees, clutching his temples. The pain didn't subside, and with another weak cry, Justin collapsed into unconsciousness.

**Chapter 10**

     The first thing he noticed was that he was in robot mode. Even though he didn't remember transforming, Silverbolt didn't mind it as much as the next things he took notice of which were his surroundings. He gasped as he noticed that he was floating through black, empty space. Where in the name of the Matrix was he?

     "In the deep subconscious of your mind," came a voice, "where you put me." An evil laugh filled the air as Jetstorm emerged from the darkness.

     Silverbolt narrowed his eyes. "You don't belong here, Jetstorm. This is all in my mind."

     "Exactly why it's so real," he replied. "When I destroy you here, I'll take over this mind and this body." He opened fire from his primary weapon and fired it at Silverbolt, who didn't have time to react and was hit with a massive amount of energy.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     The dulled pain shot through Ariana's mind. She closed her eyes and held a hand to her forehead, trying to determine if it had come from Justin.

     "It's him," she finally opened her eyes and looked at the assembled Maximals. "His mind is in some sort of flux, I can't get an exact location on it. I think… I think Silverbolt is fighting Jetstorm."

     "Inside Justin's mind?" Alex's eyes widened in disbelief.

     "Yes," Ariana's voice was quiet.

     "So what would happen if Jetstorm won?" Chris put in.

     "He and Justin would both die," she replied. "If the mind is destroyed, the body can't live without it."

     "What can we do to help?" Martin asked in concern.

     "Since when do you care?" Devon spat.

     "I care," the other teen replied. "Silverbolt is an honorable warrior and I have a great deal of respect for him. I would hate to see his life end like this."

     "I hate to see his life end at all," Ariana pointed out. Everyone was silent for a moment, deep in thought, and then Ariana's eyes lit up with realization. "I got it," she snapped her fingers. "I could enter his mind and help him defeat Jetstorm."

     "But if what you said earlier is true," Ryan reasoned, "if he looses with your minds linked, you'll die too."

     "It's a risk I'm willing to take," Ariana closed her eyes and concentrated on her mental link with Justin.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Silverbolt struggled to get up as Jetstorm closed in on him and stood towering over him. "You were always weak," Jetstorm shook his head. "It's really pathetic; the great hero of the Maximals, defeated by the power of his own mind."

     "You know nothing about me!" Silverbolt coughed.

     "On the contrary," Jetstorm smiled. "I know everything about you. I am you!"

     "You are not me!" Silverbolt objected. "You are just another one of Megatron's twisted creations."

     "And where exactly do you think he go me from?" the evil transformer scoffed. "What? You thought he created me out of hot air? I was within you all along. All Megatron really did was block out all of your Maximal thoughts, feelings, and memories about your team. So you see, either way, you lost."

     "No!" Silverbolt had had enough. He sprang to his feet and through a pack of missiles at Jetstorm. When the smoke cleared, Silverbolt was horrified to see that they did no affect Jetstorm.

     "This is the mind," he reminded Silverbolt. "The rules are different."

     "So how can your weapons work and mine can't?"

     "Because my part of the mind has the upper hand," Jetstorm grinned. "And soon all of it will belong to me."

     "Boy, talk about overconfidence," came a feminine voice. Silverbolt and Jetstorm both turned t see Blackarachnia floating just a few feet away from them , her hands on hips.

**Chapter 11**

     Silverbolt was very surprised to see her. "Blackarachnia? What…How did you…" and then it came to him. "The mind link!"

     "That's right," she nodded. "Look Silverbolt, I know you're a bit new at the whole idea of battling within the mind, so I'll explain it to you: you can't kill Jetstorm and he can't kill you either. If either of you die, you and your body will be destroyed. You have to find a way to control and contain him, like we did with Apocalypse."

     "How?" Silverbolt was lost. "Help me."

     "I can't," she shook her head. "I have almost no power here, this isn't my mind. You have to use the power of yours to isolate and then contain him. I can't physically help you, I'm sorry. Concentrate on the fact that I believe in you, Silverbolt. You can do this." She stepped back as the two transformers fought, then something else caught her attention. As Blackarachnia floated away from the fight, she noticed another part of Silverbolt's mind clouded in mist. She frowned. What was that? She reached out to the object and nudged it with her mind. As she did, it began to pulsate a dim light. It didn't seem hostile, like Jetstorm, but rather like it was dormant. 

     She didn't have time to explore it further, because she heard a loud blast from the site of the battle. When she turned, Blackarachnia saw that Silverbolt had managed to cripple Jetstorm a bit. He flew under him, and using the power of his mind focused on creating a mental box around Jetstorm, blocking him from the main part of the mind. With all his strength, Silverbolt picked up the box and tossed it into the deepest regions of his mind. He looked tiered and exhausted, but he'd survived.

     "Are you alright?" Blackarachnia asked in concern.

     "I believe so," he replied, looking around. "I think it is safe to say that Jetstorm has been contained. For now."

     "Well," she put her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. "If he ever returns, you know you can defeat him."

     "Thank you," he kissed her deeply on the lips, "for believing in me. I couldn't have succeeded without you."

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Justin slowly opened his eyes as the ceiling of his bedroom came into focus. His head ached, and he ground as he struggled to sit up.

     "Welcome back, son," came a deep masculine voice from the other side of the room. Justin turned and saw his father who was getting up from a chair he had been sitting in.

     "Dad," he breathed out a sigh of relief and leaned back on the pillow. He was home.

     "How do you feel?" Rafe sounded very concerned.

     "A little lightheaded and tiered," Justin admitted, "but I think I'll be okay."

     "Do you remember anything of what happened?"

     Justin nodded. "He's not gone for good, but he's been…contained."

     "That's good to hear," Rafe smiled. "Son, I want you to know that no one blames you for what happened."

     "I know," he agreed. "I still feel very bad about it."

     "Don't dwell on the past," his father advised, "and get some more rest." Justin nodded and closed his eyes. Rafe gave him one last glance from the doorway and headed down stairs to the living room where the Maximals were gathered. At the sight of the Autobot leader, everyone except Ariana stood up in anticipation. "He'll be alright," Rafe calmed everyone. "Justin said that Jetstorm had been contained. Right?" he turned to Ariana, but she was deep in thought and didn't here him.

     "Hey," Chris raised his voice.

     "What?" Ariana finally snapped out of her thoughtful trance and looked at her teammates.

     "What's with you?" Alex asked. "You've been like that ever since you got back. Justin will be okay, right?"

     "That's what I'm wondering about," she admitted. "You see, Jetstorm has been contained, no question there. What bothers me is that while I was in Justin's mind, I discovered that there was something else there. Not hostile, like Jetstorm, but rather like another dormant program. Sort of like it was sleeping, but…I think it's starting to stir."

     "But what is it?" asked Martin.

     "I don't know," Ariana shook her head. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

**Chapter 12**

     Ariana looked out her window at the huge full moon and shivered. The August wind had set in, and she wrapped the robe tighter around herself, moving towards her bed. She should have felt better then this, she knew. Justin was back and more or less himself again. Their major problem was the Nemesis, but it shouldn't have made her feel this uneasy. It was something else. There was a bad feeling in the air. She sighed, threw the robe on a chair, and climbed under the warm covers. That night she dreamt of Justin.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Ariana walked through the vast reaches of her dream world. An old, unfamiliar tune was playing in the background, but she hardly heard it.

     "Hello, love," came a soft voice.

     Ariana turned around and smiled as she saw Justin. Running into his arms, she kissed him deeply. As he returned the affection, the strange feeling came over her again. She pulled back and looked into his deep gray eyes.

     "What's wrong?" she was afraid of the answer.

     "I love you," his voice was sorrowful. "No matter where we are, I love you always and forever, through the pounding rain and perdition's fire…" the tune began to grow in it's intensity and some of the words became distinct. "I love you," he repeated, taking a few steps back from her, "I will always love you," he and his voice began to fade.

     With a tearful cry, Ariana reached for him, but her hand went right through.

     "I am sorry," there were tears in his eyes, "but now I have to go. Farewell, beloved." He became a silhouette and then disappeared completely. Ariana fell to her knees, her face tear-soaked. The tune was clear now.

_"Take these broken wings_

_And learn to fly again, learn to live so free_

_When we hear the voices sing_

_The book of love will open up and let us in,"_

     He needed time, she painfully realized. Time to mend his broken wings and fly once more. And then, some day, love would win and they would be together.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

     Ariana opened her eyes and looked at the open window. She got up to close it, and looked out, but Justin was already gone.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

**Morning,**

     Ariana walked up to Rafe's house. She sighed and got ready to knock on the door, but it opened and Rafe stepped out.

     "He's gone," Ariana said in a very calm and matter-of –fact tone.

     "I know," the older man nodded. "He needs time alone, but I think he'll be alright.

     "I hope so," her eyes were sad. "Thank you."

**Epilogue**

     "What the hell is going on?" one of the four tees complained. "Warren, you're second in command, what do you think?"

     "For the 100th time, Liam, I don't know," Warren sighed in frustration. "Prime said it was him."

     "Well, I for one don't give a slag about what Prime said," a third pointed out. "I say we go solo. Silverbolt was always a handicap anyway. We're better than that."

     "Shawn, at the moment, _I don't give a slag about what you think," Warren shot back. "Silverbolt is our leader and we won't abandon him. Why don't you go out and catch some air. It might cool off that hot head of yours! Then come back when you're ready to listen to reason."_

     "I'm outta here," Shawn burst past Liam and slammed the door as he headed out the small apartment. On his way out of the building, he caught sight of the forth teen, who seemed entranced in the glorious red sunset. "I'll see you later, Cody."

     Cody didn't seem to hear him. His eyes stayed focused on the beautiful seen in front of him. His memories drifted back to days even before his birth. A time when they were constantly on the battlefield and death was the only great emotion. Things were different back then. There were five of them, five fearless warriors…well…one warrior and four children with big guns, to be more accurate. Cody laughed at the thought. And now? Now the four teens were all alone.

     "Take care, Silverbolt," Cody looked back up at the sky. "Come back to us soon commander." He got up and went back inside.


End file.
